by D. G. Swank
Her dark gaze turned to Jack as she calmly said, “Her. The slayer.”
“Piper?”
“He said you were wily, that you would say and do anything to change my mind.”
A knife appeared in her hand. A small kitchen knife she’d likely used in her duties when she’d worked in Zealandia Castle, but Jack hadn’t expected it, and he hadn’t prepared himself for her swift blow to his gut. He felt the air rush out of his lungs as she withdrew the blade. Blood seeped through his shirt.
“He said I could earn my entrance with murder.” She stabbed him again, and he was too shocked to block her, but after several more swift blows, he came to his senses.
Getting to his feet was out of the question, so he turned to crawl, but she resorted to stabbing him in the back, screaming at him to die. He made it around a tree, then fell to his stomach, pain screaming through his body. His consciousness began to fade, and he realized once again that his arrogance had been his downfall.
Only this time it would be fatal.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ellie
The sun had set. Abel was gone. Collin was gone. Jack was gone. Nevertheless, allies or no allies, I intended to stop the demons. “David, I’m going to put you and Rhys in the attic with Tommy.”
One of Abel’s safe houses would have been more ideal, but we were out of time to get them there, and without Abel, we’d have no idea how to find either of his homes anyway. And while the ghost had creeped me out, compared to a horde of demons, he seemed the lesser evil. The attic would have to do.
“I’m not hiding, Ellie,” David said in his calm, reassuring voice.
“You can’t come with me,” I said.
He reached an arm around my back and pulled me close. “Then you need to hide in the attic with me.”
“I can’t do that!” I tried to jerk free, but his arm tightened.
“Why not?” he asked, still sounding reasonable, as though we were discussing which movie to watch on Netflix.
Because,” I said, stalling, and then stammered out, “you have to protect Rhys. Just in case. She’s defenseless in all this.”
“Ellie. If Piper’s created world isn’t enough to protect Rhys from the horde of demons, what difference could I possibly make for her if the horde finds its way in?”
“No,” I cried. “No.” There had to be a way to keep him safe.
“Ellie—”
“It’s my job, not yours,” I said through tears, still trying to push him away from me, but his arm was like a vise, holding me in place.
“And what’s my job, Ellie?” he whispered as he stared into my eyes. When I didn’t answer, he said, “My job is to help you. In all things. He who guides the keeper.”
“There won’t be any guiding on that hill, David,” I said bitterly. “There will only be death.”
“Do you really think you can defeat them alone?” he asked, still sounding irritatingly reasonable.
My chest heaved with several breaths before I said, “No.”
“Yet you still plan to go.”
“I have to,” I said, freely crying now. “It’s my job.”
“But if it weren’t your job, would you go?” he asked with a soft smile.
“That’s not fair!”
“The answer is yes. You would go, because people will die if you don’t, and not even the prospect of near-certain death will hold you back. You will always choose to save people, Ellie, and I love you all the more because of it.”
“David,” I said, collapsing into his chest.
He held me close, his voice in my ear. “I love you so much, Elinor Dare Lancaster. You have been my greatest gift.”
I started to sob, clinging to his shirt.
“I could no more walk away from you than I could will myself to stop breathing. I will stand with you until I can no longer stand.” He grabbed my cheeks between his hands and lifted my face until he held my gaze. “I’ve always known our time was short. I’m willing to accept that.”
“But I’m not!” I protested hotly. Then my anger faded and I whispered, “I’m not.”
“It’s not our choice.”
I jerked away from him then. “Fuck fate.”
A grin tipped up his mouth. “Easy to say, love, but harder to execute.”
“So you do the opposite,” Rhys said, sounding embarrassed. “I’m sorry to intrude on such an intimate moment, but I’m part of this too.”
“I’ll put you in the attic,” I said, turning my back on her as I wiped my tears away. How had I forgotten she was watching? No doubt my freak-out wasn’t exactly confidence-building. “You’ll be safe there.”
“No offense,” Rhys said, “but if you and Piper get yourselves killed, I’ll be trapped there for eternity with the creepy ghost kid. I’d rather take my chances out here.”
I turned back to stare at her, realizing she had a point.
“So how do we fuck fate?” David asked, sounding intrigued.
“I don’t know,” Rhys said. “But I don’t intend to get caught up in some demon’s or god’s plans again. Look, I don’t know much about demons and gods, but I do know Roman history and it’s chock-full of impossible battles that the Romans won because they were fearless, even when they were massively outnumbered.”
“Like us,” I said.
“Don’t forget that Collin is getting his own army,” Rhys said. “From what David told me, they’re supernatural beings caught between the two gods and they’ve been treated like crap for eons. They’re probably fighting because they don’t want to take their shit anymore. Like the Russian peasants and the Bolsheviks.”
“That’s presuming Abel breaks Piper out of the police station,” I reminded her.
“Please…” She rolled her eyes. “The guy’s got it bad for her. He’ll knock the building down to get her out.”
“Okay,” I said, giving her my full attention. “So presuming Abel gets her out and Tsawasi shows up with his army, what do you think we should do?”
“You obviously need some kind of battle plan. If you find out where the demons are coming from, you could create a funnel to keep them contained, like Gaius Suetonius Paulinus did when the rebel Britons he’d just conquered tried to overtake his small army. The super strategic Romans waited for the advancing horde of Britons in a narrow passage, where the Britons would no doubt charge in like wild animals and get choked into a narrow line, unable to attack any way but forward, basically eliminating their numbers advantage. The Britons were totally trapped in this funnel ‘cause they got blocked in by their own wagon trains. So…it’s not just about having the numbers…”
“The three of us won’t be able to create much of a funnel,” I protested. “Collin left, which means we can’t count on the army showing up either.”
“He didn’t leave you permanently,” David said. “He couldn’t leave you if he tried. Just like you can’t leave him.”
“David,” I said in protest.
He ignored me. “He’ll be there when the demons emerge, taking a stand with you. Just like I will.”
“And me,” Rhys said. “I’m scared shitless, but I have to do something. So call him.”
My phone started to ring, and I wasn’t surprised to see Collin’s name on the screen.
“Tsawasi says the demons won’t be emerging from Helen’s Bridge,” Collin said, sounding breathless. “They’re coming out of a crypt in Riverside Cemetery.”
“What?”
“Nothing’s happened yet, but you might want to get over here.” He paused. “Have you heard anything from Abel or Jack?”
“No,” I said, “I’ll call them as we head over.”
“We?”
“David and Rhys insist on coming too.”
He hesitated, then said, “Okay. See you soon.”
I filled David and Rhys in on the short conversation, and we headed downstairs to get the bag of weapons. Rhys pulled out two swords she thought she could handle, and David rigged up
a belt with scabbards for her. As she looked down at her weapons, she said, “For the record, I’m ordinarily a pacifist.”
I grinned at her. “Me too.”
“Huh,” she said, studying me for a moment. “I never would have guessed.”
I liked this girl. “When this is all over, you, me, and Piper should really go for a spa day.”
She beamed. “I’d like that.”
“If you girls are done bonding,” David said good-naturedly, “then maybe we should head out.”
David had a point, but my life had been nothing but demons and heartache for the past few months. It felt good to have a normal moment for once, however fleeting.
I picked my bag up off the table, ready to leave Piper’s house with everything in case we couldn’t come back, when we heard a knock at the front door. All three of us froze.
“It can’t be anything bad,” Rhys said. “The boogeyman wouldn’t just knock on the front door, right?”
I snorted. “You’d be surprised.”
She crept to the living room and peeked through the curtains covering the living room windows. “It’s Detective Powell.”
“The police?” I asked in dread.
“Yeah, but she’s Jack’s friend.” Rhys moved to the door. “She’s his contact at the police station.” She flung the door open before I could stop her. “Olivia, is everything okay with Piper?”
“She’s still in a holding cell, if that’s what you’re asking.” She made a face, then rubbed a hand across her forehead. “Is Jack here by any chance? I really need to talk to him.”
Rhys shook her head. “No. I haven’t seen him since this afternoon.”
“I need to speak to him about something important.” Her gaze lowered to the two swords strapped to Rhys’s belt. “So it’s true. There really is going to be a demon invasion.”
“While I hope they’re wrong,” Rhys said, “it looks like it’s going to happen.”
Olivia hesitated. “Piper told me I need to get out of town, to save myself.”
“You should follow her advice,” I said in a curt tone. “Things are likely to get ugly.”
She shook her head. “If the citizens of Asheville are in trouble, I’m not running from it. I want to help, but first I really need to talk to Jack. He won’t answer his phone. Is that like him? Should we be worried?”
Rhys glanced back at me with concern. Turning back to Olivia, she said, “We think Jack went to Helen’s Bridge, but he’s been gone for a while. I’m officially worried.”
Olivia’s jaw set. “I’m going to go look for him.”
Rhys gave me an apologetic frown. “Ellie, I need to go with her. I’m worried about him too.”
“That’s a good idea,” David said. “Even if the demons emerge from the cemetery, some are likely to come out of the gate at the bridge. Find Jack, then we’ll figure out whether you three should stay there or meet us somewhere.”
Rhys’s shoulders sagged with relief. “Thank you.”
Olivia turned to leave, but I called after her, “You need a sword.”
Olivia stopped and spun around with a skeptical expression. “I have a gun.”
“Bullets won’t kill them,” I said. “You have to stab them in the heart with a sword that’s been blessed to kill demons.”
“Sometimes cutting off their heads works too,” David added.
Olivia’s brow shot up. “Blessed?”
“If you’re a demon,” David said, “I guess you could say cursed. But if you’re going to be anywhere near them, you’ll need a blessed sword to protect yourself.”
Olivia seemed reluctant, but after she relented, Rhys showed her the weapons. Olivia selected a sword with a thinner blade, telling us she’d taken up fencing in college. Knowing both women were armed, I felt slightly better when they walked out the door.
“You don’t think demons are going to emerge at the bridge, do you?” I asked once they left.
“One never knows,” he said with a sad smile.
I walked over and gave him a kiss. “Thank you for trying to protect them.”
“Other than Olivia’s semester of fencing, they have absolutely no experience using a sword, let alone facing demons,” David said. “I think it’s safe to say I feel relieved knowing they are somewhere safer.”
I couldn’t help wishing I’d sent him with them.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ellie
Collin had texted directions to the crypt they were staking out at the cemetery, but no army awaited us there. We only found Collin and Tsagasi standing in front of the mausoleum at the back of the graveyard. The opening was in a section of hill that looked like it had been carved away, with two stone walls that tapered to three-foot walls on either side. A narrow one-lane road curved in front of it, and the dilapidated wooden doors were accessible from it. David parked the car about twenty feet away.
“Trying to keep my car insurance premiums down by keeping it out of the fight,” David teased, and I couldn’t help cracking a smile.
When we got out, I glanced around, realizing I didn’t see a car, not that Collin had one. He’d come to Asheville with us in David’s car. “How’d you get here?”
Collin gave me a smart-ass grin. “Uber.”
He could have easily been lying, but it wasn’t worth pursuing.
“Where’s Tsawasi?” David asked.
“And more importantly, where’s his army?” I added
“He says he’ll show up when Piper’s fighting,” Collin grumbled. He was sitting on a low stone wall, kicking his feet nonchalantly and looking anything but deadly, even holding his spear.
“Then let’s hope Abel is successful,” David said.
“Are you sure this is the back door to hell?” I asked Tsagasi. It was close to ten o’clock and my nerves were frayed.
“The night is young,” he said in a snippy tone. “You must learn patience.”
“We’re standing in the middle of a cemetery,” I countered. “I’m not impatient. I’m creeped out.” Moreover, I was terrified, not that I was going to let on. I needed my false sense of confidence.
“Do you think the bastard is really going to get her out of there?” Collin asked after several moments of silence.
We all knew he was talking about Abel.
“If he thinks she’s in danger, yeah. He will.” I gave him a long look. “Wouldn’t you do the same if it were me?”
“There will be danger,” Tsagasi said. “I’m surprised he’s waiting. Better to get her out now and prepare for battle.”
“He’s waiting because of her,” Collin said in irritation. “He knows she’ll be pissed if he just breaks her out, but she’s too stubborn to admit that it needs to be done and not willing to deal with the carnage to make it happen. So instead he’ll try to appease her by waiting until it’s almost too late—or maybe even after it’s too late—all because he wanted to make her happy.”
I turned to him, propping my hand on my hip. “Why do I think you’re really talking about me here?”
He lifted an eyebrow with a smirk. “If the shoe fits…”
“I’m open to a grown-up discussion, Collin,” I retorted. “Why don’t you try it sometime?”
“Quiet,” Tsagasi barked, turning his attention to the rotting wooden double doors built into the hillside. The sides were held together by two newly added slabs of metal. Rusty wrought iron scrollwork topped the structure, and it now had a faint glow behind it.
“Collin,” I said, reaching for the hilt of my sword.
“Yeah,” he groaned as he slid off the wall, holding the spear in his left hand and drawing his sword with his right. “I see it.”
I cast a worried glance at David. He had a sword of his own, but he had little training. Truth be told, out of all of us Piper was likely the most skilled after all the training Abel had put her through, but she was currently locked up in the Asheville jail, completely unprotected by anything other than the salt that Olivia had smu
ggled in to her, and whatever was about to emerge from that crypt was going to be looking for her. It would be looking for Abel too, but he could take care of himself.
The light behind the grate over the doors pulsed and brightened, and a loud moan echoed from behind the doors.
My heart kicked into overdrive as I pulled my sword from its sheath and took a defensive stance. Sure, I’d faced demons before, often, but never more than four at one time. I had no idea how many would come erupting from that tomb.
Collin fell in on my left, Tsagasi stood to his left, and David took our rear. The four of us against who knew how many demons.
“Keep them in the funnel,” I said. “Try to keep the trapped between the sides of the hill and us. Just like Gaius Stutony’s Palley in England.”
Collin shot me a look that suggested he questioned my sanity. “What?”
“Just try to keep them contained between the hill and us,” David said. “Don’t let them pass.”
Collin glanced from David to me, then rolled his eyes as he turned back to watch the doors.
Blinding light burst from the grate and through the cracks of the door, along with several loud, piercing screams.
“Okeus isn’t taking any chances,” Tsagasi said. “He’s sent the Botageria.”
“What are those?” I asked, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“They are equivalent to bounty hunters and they do not fail at their task.”
“Like hellhounds,” David said.
“Yes,” Tsagasi said, “only they don’t drag their targets to hell. They drag them straight to Okeus.” He paused. “Although they usually do end up there. They have one purpose—find the target and return it. They let nothing get in their way.”
I was about to ask him for tips on how to fight them when the doors slammed open and three hideous creatures raced out. They were six feet tall on their haunches and several hundred pounds each. Their back legs were short and squat compared to their longer front legs, suggesting they could leap like giant frogs. Their heads were doglike, with massive jaws that could easily crush small animals or a person’s arms or legs . . . or head. Short, shiny black fur covered their bodies.
